Stranger In My Midst
by beautifultrouble
Summary: And it was then, in that moment, that Sam realized the truth. When Janet has asked her if the colonel's disappearance was a problem, she'd said no, because it wasn't. But it was a problem. It was a problem of monumental proportions. Starts during S3's A Hundred Days.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Set during A Hundred Days, shortly after the 'Is this a problem?' scene between Sam and Janet. As this hasn't been beta read, any mistakes are mine.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"So," Janet started as she pulled the curtain around the bed Sam was currently occupying. "This looks like it could be a problem."

Sam met the doctor's concerned stare. "There's no problem. I'm fine."

Janet set the clipboard on the end of the bed and crossed her arms. "You're fine?"

"Yes."

"Then do you want to tell me why Daniel found you unconscious on the floor of your lab?"

She had the decency to look sheepish at Janet's accusatory look. "I just... I need to get back to work."

"I don't think so."

"But, I –"

"I don't want to hear it, Sam," she interrupted. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to her friend. "We're all worried about you. You've been pushing yourself to the limit for weeks now. You have to rest."

"I have to get back to work," she ground out.

"Sam, stop. _Please_ ," Janet added softly when Sam started to kick off the thin military-standard blanket covering her body. "I don't want to have to make it an order."

When Sam hesitated, Janet continued. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

She looked at her friend incredulously. "What's going on?"

"I didn't mean –" Janet sighed. "Look, Sam, I'm not accusing you of anything. I just... I know you're missing the colonel - we all are - but..."

"I'm the only one who can bring him home, Janet," Sam eventually whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Janet moved to her side and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "No-one is doubting you. You will bring him home."

"He's already had to wait too long. What if he's given up on us? What if he isn't even alive? What if..."

And it was then, in that moment, that Sam realized the truth. Two hours ago, when Janet has asked if the colonel's disappearance was a problem, she'd said no, because it wasn't. But it turned out it was a problem. It was a problem of monumental proportions.

A shudder ran through Sam's body at the discovery and Janet tightened her grip. "Hey, shush," she whispered. "I need you to calm down, Sam."

How the hell could she calm down when she was hit with the realization that she was missing her commanding officer a lot more than she was supposed to? Yes, she would be lying if she said she didn't get a warm, fuzzy feeling whenever the colonel was near, but until now, that's all she thought it was. A passing infatuation. But now that she was faced with reality... Ever since the colonel had been stranded on Edora, Sam's every thought, movement and breath had revolved around him and how she could bring him home.

Her single-mindedness was irrational and wholly inappropriate and just a little frightening, and it took her a few moments to realize that Janet was still speaking.

"Sam? Did you hear what I said?"

"Uh..."

"Daniel and Teal'c are waiting outside. Do you want them to sit with you for a while?"

Through the haze, Sam shook her head. A part of her did want her teammates around her, but she also wanted to get back to the particle accelerator that was lying in her lab.

"When can I get out of here?"

To her credit, the doctor resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the question. Instead, she picked up the clipboard and started to read the results. "I need you to rest today and then we'll see."

"But –"

"Ah! Doctor's orders."

The two women stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Eventually, Sam sighed. "You don't understand, Janet."

"Then help me to, Sam."

"I can't."

Janet heard the plea in her friend's voice; she knew what wasn't being said – what _couldn't_ be said. She should have been surprised at Sam's confession of sorts, but truthfully, she wasn't. Over the years, SG-1 had spent more time than any other team in her infirmary. Despite the injuries, the near-death experiences, the alien threats they had faced, Janet had gotten to know them all well. Too well.

She had watched the way they all looked out for each other and took turns to keep vigil at a bedside. She had found, on more than one occasion, the way the colonel had fallen asleep by his teammates' side – even when he knew they would pull through and were on the road to recovery. She had noticed the way he would check on Daniel, or Teal'c, his concern evident underneath his blasé manner, but when it was Sam lying before him, he was different. It was nothing serious, just the way he would stare at the major for a second too long, or the way he'd brush his hand against hers when he thought they were alone, or the way he'd murmur 'look after her, doc' around the door to her office as he finished his watch for the night.

Janet sighed. She had already told Sam to rest, which was fine, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop her disobeying the order for long because she wouldn't stop until she had delivered on her promise to bring Colonel O'Neill home.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal," she acquiesced. "I'll give you an hour and if you don't pass out again, then I'll release you from the infirmary – on the condition that you return to your quarters for the rest of the evening."

Sam closed her eyes at the compromise. It wasn't ideal, but at least this way she had a better chance of sneaking back to her lab, so she decided to accept the offer. "Thank you, Janet."

"Hmm," she replied. "I haven't finished."

Sam held her breath. "I'm sending Daniel and Teal'c too. If you so much as talk about anything related to your project, you'll be straight back here. Is that understood?"

When Sam didn't answer, Janet folded her arms across her chest. "Sam?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Promise me?"

"Yeah," she answered, giving the doctor a smile. "I promise."

Janet studied her for a moment longer before she nodded. "Okay, stay there. I'm going to inform the guys and then you can go."

With that, she turned and left Sam alone. She knew Daniel and Teal'c would follow through with the doctor's orders, but she also knew that they desperately wanted the colonel home too. Pushing the blanket back with a renewed focus on what she needed to do, Sam reached for her BDU jacket. Tomorrow would mark 100 days since they'd left Jack behind, and Sam would be damned if she let him stay there one day longer.

 **TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This update is like a chapter of two halves; with each half being told from a different point of view. I was going to post them separately, but I don't think they are lengthy enough to do that effectively – so I've put them together. Hopefully it makes sense and isn't confusing to follow._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Daniel wiped his glasses with the sleeve of his jacket and glanced to his left where Sam was sleeping. He sighed heavily.

"Is there something troubling you, Daniel Jackson?"

The younger man shifted in his seat and looked at Teal'c. "I was just… thinking," he murmured, matching his friend's soft tone.

"I see."

"Do you think he's still out there, Teal'c?"

"O'Neill is a survivor. If he was able to find shelter and remain until the fire rain stopped – then yes, I believe he is alive."

Daniel nodded at his words. They fell into silence and the archaeologist cast another glance at Sam.

"This is not the only thought on your mind."

Even though Teal'c didn't always say much, you could always count on him to be observant.

"No," Daniel admitted. "I mean, yes. I…"

A whimper escaped Sam and her two teammates turned to face her. Daniel shared in Sam's desire to rescue Jack, he really did, but he also knew that she was working too hard. So earlier, when Janet decided to prescribe a light sedative to make sure that she would rest, Daniel hadn't objected. That had been almost four hours ago, and ever since, his guilt had only grown with every second that ticked by.

If it had been himself or Teal'c stranded off-world, there was no doubt in his mind that Sam would still be pushing herself to the limit, but Daniel had never seen such a fierce determination in his friend before – particularly where Jack was concerned – and he couldn't help but wonder what had changed – and when.

"She misses him."

It was more of an observation, but Teal'c answered him regardless. "Indeed. As do we all."

"Hm."

His response caused Teal'c to frown. "Do you not miss O'Neill?"

"No! No, I do. It's just... I've never known Sam to act this way before."

"She is merely concerned with bringing her teammate – and friend – home."

"I guess you're right."

"You do not agree?"

Daniel replaced his glasses as he mused out loud. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"To what are you referring, Daniel Jackson?"

"I don't know," he said distractedly. "I feel like Sam's hiding something."

"Samantha Carter is under a great amount of pressure to succeed."

"But it's for Jack!"

Realizing how his outburst sounded, Daniel cleared his throat. "I mean, of course I want her to succeed and I want Jack home safe, but –" He waved a hand in the air. "It's Sam... and Jack."

He saw Teal'c frown and sighed. "I don't think I've seen Sam so emotionally attached before."

"There is no denying that Major Carter and O'Neill appear to share a special bond," Teal'c commented quietly. "I have noticed it on many occasions."

"And you haven't said anything?"

"Until now, I have not."

Daniel turned and studied the sleeping form of his friend as he let Teal'c's words play over in his mind. "Do you remember the first year of the Program, when I got transported to another reality?"

Teal'c nodded once.

"Right, of course. Well, the Sam and Jack there were both… different."

"They were betrothed."

"Yeah," Daniel sighed. "I never really thought much about it after that but with the arrival of Kawalsky and Doctor Carter a few months ago..."

"O'Neill and Samantha Carter were married in their reality."

"Don't you think that's strange?"

"I do not."

Daniel frowned. "Really?"

"Indeed."

"I mean, both of those realities had significant differences, but it always seems to be the Stargate that brings the two of them together."

"Then this reality is not so different to the others we have experienced."

He met Teal'c's gaze and thought he saw a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. He smiled softly. "I guess not."

"You are uncertain?"

He shook his head. "No, but I'm starting to wonder if – in this reality – the military is the only thing standing in their way."

"Perhaps this is not for us to wonder, Daniel Jackson."

"Yeah, I know, but we've been through so much together already. I just hope, in the end, this all works out."

"As do I."

A slight movement from Sam caught their attention as she started to stir, signalling the end of their conversation.

Slowly her eyes opened and she blinked a couple of times as she surveyed her surroundings. "Daniel?"

"Hey, Sam."

He watched and waited as the events of the past few hours came back to her. Her eyes widened in panic and she jumped up from the bed.

* * *

Sam closed her eyes as the dizziness threatened to overcome her. She reached out and felt Teal'c gently grasp her elbow, while Daniel told her to breathe.

"Take it easy," he added quietly. "Janet said it's gonna take a while for the sedative to leave your system."

He watched Sam shake her head, as if the action alone would get rid of the drugs. "I'm ok."

Truthfully, she was not ok but she was now even further behind schedule and she didn't want to do or say anything that would bring further delays. She didn't blame Janet for administering the sedative because, despite her strict orders, Sam knew that she wasn't going to follow the doctor's advice to rest. And she was pretty sure Janet knew this as well, hence their current situation, but now she really had to get back to work.

"I really appreciate you both keeping an eye on me, but I feel fine now."

Daniel and Teal'c glanced at each other briefly, but said nothing. "Honestly," she continued, hoping that she sounded convincing. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Are you planning on going back to work?"

She met Daniel's questioning gaze, but found no judgment, just concern. She took a step closer. "I'm almost finished, Daniel," she started, her voice low. "If I –"

"Sam," he cut in gently. "You're exhausted."

"I –"

"Daniel Jackson is correct," came the soft, comforting voice of Teal'c. "You are still in need of much rest."

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration. She wanted to argue with them, really, she did, but they were right. She was exhausted. She had been for weeks, but had refused to give in to the tiredness, because to give in would feel like giving up, and if the roles were reversed, she knew the colonel would be doing what he could to get one of his team home, rather than taking a break from what needed to be done.

"We're worried about you, Sam."

She knew that too and she was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt. Ever since their return from Edora, Daniel and Teal'c had never been far away. They had supported her idea regarding the particle accelerator and offered to do whatever they could to help. They had brought her breakfast, or lunch, or coffee throughout the day and tried to convince her to take a few hours' sleep whenever they could. They had been there for her, offering support, and yet she had failed to do the same for them. In her determination to rescue the colonel, she didn't stop to think about how his disappearance was affecting her other teammates. Instead, she had unwittingly pushed them away.

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just…"

"We all want to see Jack home," Daniel said, as if reading her mind. "But you said it yourself – we need the accelerator, and you're the only one who can do it. You're no good to us if you work yourself to death."

"I'm not working myself to death," she answered defensively.

"You've lost weight, you haven't been sleeping, and when was the last time you actually left the mountain?"

When Sam didn't answer, he sighed. "When I found you in your lab… You were so pale. For a moment I thought you were… I was so scared that we might lose you as well."

A heavy silence descended in the room as the trio realized the toll the situation was taking on them all.

"I think we all need a rest," Sam finally muttered, which garnered her a snort from Daniel and a tilt of the head from Teal'c.

"It does sound good," admitted the archaeologist, but he also knew that they wouldn't fully rest until they were once again a team of four – and to do that, they needed to get back to work.

"You know Janet is due to check up on you shortly."

"Yes, but I've rested now."

"She's not going to let you go back to your lab."

"I only need a few hours, Daniel."

He sighed. "Can you do it in stages?"

Sam frowned at his question. "What?"

"The particle accelerator. Can you work on it in stages?"

"It's not ideal, no."

"But it could be done?"

"Well, yes, but -"

She hesitated when she saw Daniel nodding slowly and suddenly it clicked. She knew where his line of questioning was going. "If I was able to work for even thirty minutes at a time –"

Daniel held up a hand to stop her. "How long do you need?"

She quickly did a few sums in her head. "Six hours."

She watched as Daniel shared a look with Teal'c and her brows furrowed together as the Jaffa inclined his head slightly, right before Daniel turned to face her.

"Okay," he said. "So, you may not need a babysitter – but you will need a lookout."

Sam grinned at her friends.

They were going to bring the colonel home.

 **TBC...**


End file.
